Genesis and Jethro Tull formed. Pink Floyd’s debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, was released, as were the hit singles ‘Arnold Layne’ and ‘See Emily Play’, where Syd’s star shone most brightly. David Bowie put out a first album, as did The Doors, Traffic, Velvet Underground and Leonard Cohen (just about).

It had everything we’ve come to expect from a prominent year in music: a celebrated festival (Monterey), something nauseating hogging the charts for several months (The Sound of Music), lots of bands with ridiculous names, and more rock and pop variants than you could wave a white bicycle at. Yes, a lot of it sounds unforgivably fey now, but what a tremendous time to love music, to follow its progress through the charts and to catch it live and on air.

I have to pick ten songs. Anything less than ten would be silly.

- The Box Tops, ‘The Letter’
- Dave Davies, ‘Death of a Clown’
- Donovan, ‘Wear Your Love Like Heaven’
- Joni Mitchell, ‘Both Sides Now’
- The Move, ‘Flowers in the Rain’
- The Rolling Stones, ‘She’s a Rainbow’
- Small Faces, ‘Itchycoo Park’
- The Tremeloes, ‘Even the Bad Times are Good’
- Van Morrison, ‘ Brown-Eyed Girl’
- Jackie Wilson, ‘Higher and Higher’

Albums, also. How could you pick out a key song from, say, Sgt Pepper’s? (Oh, alright; of course it would be ‘A Day in the Life’ every time.)

Leaving out the most obvious and those already mentioned here, as well as Cream’s Disraeli Gears, Jefferson Airplane’s Surrealistic Pillow and A Hard Road by John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, because I’ve lavished praise on them in previous posts and it would be nice to pick out something less predictable, here are a few more from 1967 which I’m fond of:

- The Hobbits, Down to Middle Earth
- The Kinks, Something Else by…
- Magic Sam Blues Band, West Side Soul
- Moby Grape, Moby Grape
- Skip Bifferty, Skip Bifferty

Looking forward to seeing what you’ve chosen.

When you’re done, if you still can’t get enough of 1967, here’s a nice little quiz.

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Naturally, online campaigns protesting against the proposals have sprung up, and one name that has been mentioned repeatedly is that of much-loved and greatly-missed DJ, John Peel, who died suddenly following a heart attack in 2004.

As Phill Jupitus so simply yet perfectly put it, killing off 6 Music would be “an affront to the memory of John Peel.” David Bowie added that “6 Music keeps the spirit of broadcasters like John Peel alive, and for new artists to lose this station would be a great shame.”

Best known for his legendary Peel Sessions, which began in September 1967 and ran for 37 years, John Peel undoubtedly helped launch many a career, often by championing music that others would not play. In a 2002 BBC poll to discover the 100 Greatest Britons, he was even voted 43rd, some recognition for his services at BBC Radio 1 and with pirate radio station, Radio London, before that.

For anyone passionate about music, his Top Gear show on Radio 1 every Tuesday and Thursday night made for essential listening. Due to Musicians’ Union rules, he had to include a sizeable portion of non-recorded music in each programme, and, mercifully, live recordings were preferred to the usual chatter.

There exists a vast archive of Peel Sessions, containing 4,000 in all by more than 2,000 artists; including six by Pink Floyd and many from associated acts such as Roxy Music, Roy Harper and Robert Wyatt. Browse by artist or by year.

And so we return to 6 Music…

If you’d like to hear any Peel Session again, Marc Riley invites listeners to share which session they’d most like him to play – and why.

Everyone can listen to 6 Music online, so what better way to help a station in distress?

If you could, I’d like lots of Peel appreciation, as well as Sessions, today.

My favourite has to be Syd Barrett’s. Accompanied by David with Jerry Shirley on drums, recorded in February 1970 and aired the following month, this was later released on Peel’s Strange Fruit label and is an absolute must for any Syd fan.

Thoughts on 6 Music and the BBC in general are also quite welcome; I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking up other imaginative ways in which the corporation could cut back, rather than by scrapping their only radio station with a genuinely ‘alternative’ playlist and where, in true Peel tradition, new acts can be heard on a daily basis.

By the way, if you missed the John Peel tribute single – a version of the Buzzcocks number, ‘Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t've)?’, featuring David on rhythm guitar and benefiting Amnesty International – do look/listen out for it.

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Although released in the first week of August, Pink Floyd’s debut album, ‘The Piper at the Gates of Dawn’, entered the UK album charts in this week of 1967. It would spend seven just outside the Top Five.

So, why not turn off whatever you’re listening to and give it a spin? Take some time to remember with a smile the beautiful talents of the late Syd Barrett and Richard Wright (as well as producer Norman ‘Hurricane’ Smith, who passed away last year) and share whatever you feel like sharing about this fine piece of work; be it your favourite track, most whimsical lyric, memories of acquiring the original LP, or thoughts on the 30th and 40th anniversary CDs (both of which were re-mastered by James Guthrie, the latter includes two rare takes of ‘Interstellar Overdrive’, rescued from EMI’s archives, plus a previously unavailable version of ‘Matilda Mother’ – click here if you need to learn more).

I’d also care to know how you like the first three Pink Floyd singles, all released in 1967 (‘Arnold Layne’, ‘See Emily Play’, ‘Apples and Oranges’) and their respective B-sides (‘Candy and a Currant Bun’, ‘The Scarecrow’, ‘Paintbox’).

Add to that a fourth single, 1968′s ‘It Would Be So Nice’, only officially available as part of the 1992 ‘Shine On’ box set and the less well-known budget releases, put out in selected parts of the world in 1970 and 1974 to capitalise on the band’s growing popularity, entitled ‘The Best of The Pink Floyd’ and ‘Masters of Rock’.

The B-side to ‘It Would Be So Nice’ was ‘Julia Dream’, David’s first recorded Pink Floyd vocal.

Interestingly, if not somewhat worryingly, the UK’s most popular albums of 1967 were (in order of sales, no surprise about the biggest-seller):

- The Beatles, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
- ‘Sound of Music’ soundtrack
- ‘The Best of The Beach Boys’
- ‘The Monkees’
- ‘Doctor Zhivago’ soundtrack
- ‘More of The Monkees’
- ‘Fiddler On the Roof’ (Original London Cast)
- Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, ‘Going Places’
- Seekers, ‘Come the Day’
- Tom Jones, ‘Green, Green Grass of Home’

How many of those will you still admit to having in your collection, then?

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On this day in 1964, The Beatles made their American television debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. More than 70 million viewers tuned in for what was the first of three legendary appearances throughout February.

Unless you’ve got a very good reason not to, perhaps you’d care to take ten minutes out of your day to enjoy this classic footage. It is, undeniably, an important piece of both music, and TV, history.

So, as well as your feelings towards those four lovable mop-tops, it’s Beatles songs that David could cover today, please.

You probably know that David and Syd spent some time busking together in 1965, performing songs from ‘Help!’, in France. You ought to know that David performed with Paul McCartney at Liverpool’s famed Cavern Club in 1999. That’s been captured for posterity on DVD, as has another gig, in aid of PETA, billed ‘The PETA Concert for Party Animals’. I’d like to know what you thought of those two.

Any other Beatles connections, do send them in. There are many.

Finally, following on from our Rock and Roll ruminations last week, how about The Beatles’ ‘Live at the BBC’ for some great classic covers? I’m thinking specifically of the raw vocals of Paul and John respectively on Little Richard’s ‘Lucille’ and Chuck Berry’s ‘Rock and Roll Music’, classic Ringo on the Carl Perkins number, ‘Matchbox’, and George’s fine guitar-playing on the unmistakeable ‘Johnny B. Goode’.

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This is an early reminder to find time this week to listen to Radcliffe & Maconie.

Their show is on BBC Radio 2 tomorrow night (Tuesday 9 December), 20:00-22:00 (UK).

Re-scheduled from September, it includes ‘Echoes’ live from Gdańsk in its glorious entirety.

I’m sure you’ve heard it a few times already, but it’s always good to hear David on the radio, isn’t it?

And – breaking news – it’s just been revealed that David will also perform Syd Barrett’s ‘Here I Go’ for the very first time.

You can listen to the show online no matter where you are, live or on demand (listen live, just in case).

If you’re in the UK, tune in to 88-91 FM on the night. Alternatively, listen through either your DAB digital radio or television set: channel 0102 on Sky, 902 on Virgin and 702 on Freeview.

You want the second hour.

If you want the chatroom, it’s now open – and will be until 15:00 (UK).

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Here’s November’s. (Yes, just 29 days until Christmas, folks…)

It’s the very well-read Pawel, with his signed copy of ‘On an Island’.

Thanks for sending it in, Pawel.

If you haven’t seen it yet, do have a look at the new Gdańsk microsite. Comments welcome.

Also, if you’re in the States, you can catch ‘Live in Gdańsk’ – and lots more – as part of VH1′s all-day Pink Floyd Thanksgiving fest. That’s from 11:00 (EST).

Other programmes include the ‘Which One’s Pink?’ documentary, The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story, a Classic Albums special on the making of ‘Dark Side of the Moon’, footage from the ‘P.U.L.S.E’ DVD and ‘The Wall’ film. Nothing that you haven’t seen before, I expect, but still.

There are also plenty of the usual repeats coming up. Please see the calendar for those.

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Better known as ‘The Seven Ages of Rock’, the second programme in this BBC series is about to be broadcast once more in Belgium and Switzerland – and wherever else channels TSR2 and La Une can be received by cable or satellite.

The programme – entitled ‘White Light, White Heat: Art Rock, 1966-1980′ – includes a considerable portion reserved for discussion of, and footage from, Pink Floyd. David was interviewed for the programme, so that might be ‘new’ footage for you, as well as snippets of one or two early rarities. Click here for more on that.

That’s tonight, Sunday 13 July – on TSR2 – at 21:25 (CET), then Monday 14 July – on La Une – at 22:00 (CET).

As we’ve been talking about Syd all week, I’d be interested to hear how well you felt the programme explained his gradual retirement from the music industry and, indeed, the public eye. As one viewer noted on the BBC site: “Awful overview of the Syd Barrett story. Subjective twaddle, giving people the hyped-up myth they want to hear.”

Do you agree with this statement?

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And thank you, Ikkar, for sharing your artwork with us.

Which of Syd’s songs can you imagine David singing?

On the last tour, David covered ‘Astronomy Domine’, ‘Dark Globe’ and ‘Dominoes’, and on his previous solo outing in 2002, ‘Terrapin’.

Not to mention ‘Arnold Layne’, which was released as a single and is a highlight of the ‘Remember That Night’ DVD (sung by Richard Wright and David Bowie).

You’ll be able to hear ‘Dominoes’ (from Paris) on the forthcoming ‘Live in Gdańsk’ album – unless you opt for either the two-disc or vinyl set, that is – as it’s one of 12 live tracks included on a bonus CD, and will also be available for download.

‘Astronomy Domine’ (from Gdańsk, naturally) is also included on a bonus DVD, as well as featuring on the album itself.

Both ‘Dominoes’ and ‘Terrapin’ are included on David’s 2002 ‘In Concert’ DVD.

Do you have a favourite of those tracks already covered?

There’s no chat today, but the chatroom will be open tomorrow: between 11:00 and 13:00 (UK).

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I’m sure you’ll think of Syd today, and maybe play a song or two to remember his wonderful, unique talent.

If you’d like to say anything at all about Syd, go ahead. I’d love to know your favourite songs and lyrics, as well as what made him so special to you (if it’s even possible to put the magic he created in such a comparatively short space of time into words).

The chatroom is now open, if you’d like to pop in. It will be open until 15:00 (UK).

Details of future chat sessions can be found on the calendar.

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